Department Of Justice Takes Florida To Court Over Plans To Purge Voter Rolls

Wednesday, June 13, 2012 - 1:34pm by News Desk 2

Washington, D.C. -

The Department of Justice has filed suit against Florida to stop the state from purging voter rolls using a list that most agree is unreliable. The DOJ has previously stated it is a violation of federal law to purge rolls within 90 days of a federal election and that a disproportionate amount of those listed on the purge list are minorities and democrats, many in Miami-Dade county.

“The Department of Justice has an overriding interest in protecting the rights of eligible citizens to register and vote free from unlawful burdens, while at the same time ensuring that ineligible persons do not register and vote in federal elections in violation of the law,” said Thomas E. Perez, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The department is committed to enforcing the National Voter Registration Act so that these objectives are met.”

All 67 county election supervisors in Florida have also said they will resist Scott's move to purge rolls until a more reliable and definitive list can be obtained.

Florida's republican governor, Rick Scott, has said he intends to go forward with the plan despite over 500 people have been found on the list of 2,700 to be legal U.S. citizens that are lawfully eligible to vote. Scott's main point is that the Department of Homeland Security is refusing to give the state its list of citizens, legal residents, and illegal immigrants that it maintains for border protection.

Florida also filed a lawsuit against the DHS arguing it is illegally withholding information that it needs.